The GoldDigger
by Hye Won
Summary: She was a golddigger. He had a black AMEX. The attraction was inevitable.


**Title:** The Gold-digger

**Author:** Hyewon

**Plot/Summary:** She was a gold-digger. He had a black AMEX. The attraction was inevitable.

**Inspired by:** MUGETSU (Indirectly)

**Started on: **August 6th, 2007.

**A/N:** Okay, so I'm a terrible author for abandoning my past stories. I can't bear to re-read them because my writing was poop (for lack of better word) and probably still is. Still, I was so pumped after a little inspiration stroke that I thought of this. I can't promise anything because I tend to lose interest halfway through things. I just wish I could transfer my ideas to someone and have them write it for me. Sigh. Anyhow, it's a strange little idea, but I hope you guys like it.

* * *

"Tomoyo, do you see this?" Sakura pointed excitedly to her computer screen. 

"The new Celine bag? Yeah, it's nice. Why?" Tomoyo looked at her brown-haired friend skeptically.

"I want it! There are less than a hundred being circulated in Hong Kong right now." It was just like Sakura to gush over exclusive products.

"Are you insane? Look at the price! We can eat like a thousand hamburgers!" Sure it was nice, but nice didn't keep you alive or full, now did it? Sakura pouted in reaction and when she noticed Tomoyo's unrelenting glare, she sighed.

"Fine, but if I see anyone with the **SongHyeKyo **bag, I'm going to mug them right off the bat." She said determinedly. Tomoyo laughed.

* * *

Her name was Sakura Kinomoto. At the young age of 22, she was living alone, financially stable and had the best friend in the world. Wouldn't you envy her? Wouldn't you be jealous of her silky brown tresses and unique emerald-green eyes? Wouldn't her parents be proud? They probably would be if they were here. They probably would be if they were alive. 

Sakura had nearly everything as a child. She had a loving family, loyal friends and despite the fact that her family was not economically well, they were happy. And for the longest time, Sakura thought that was the most important thing in the world. But as cruel as fate was, it had all been taken from her as quickly as it'd been granted.

It was ironic really; seven had long been deemed the lucky number. Yet on the day of her seventh birthday, tragedy had struck her family in the form of a car crash. As they drove towards Tokyo Disney to celebrate their baby girl's special day, a drunk driver had rammed into their car from the side at an astonishing 120 mph speed and sent them off track. Sakura could still remember the horrid scent of burning rubber as their tires left dark scars on the asphalt road. She could still remember as the car spun at a dizzying rate before it tilted dangerously off the side of the road. She would never forget the final descent, the sound of thick branches scraping and scratching the side of the car. It finally stopped with an ear piercing crunch against a thick oak tree. Sakura briefly felt herself thrown from her seat as black dotted her vision. She had never felt such an urge to sleep.

When she finally awoke, it was to an irritating beeping. Her surroundings were white and when she looked down, she noted her clothes were white too. She had sworn she was wearing pink. Had it all been a dream? Was it only a nightmare? She opened her mouth to speak, but an overwhelming thirst clogged her throat.

"Mom?" her hoarse voice croaked. "Dad?" But there was no reply. "Touya?" Where were they? Did they end up going to Disneyland without her? She wanted to throw off her covers and search for them, but even strength seemed to have left her. Where were they? Where was her family? Why was she in a place she'd never seen before? "Touya!" she said as loudly as she could muster. "It's not funny! I don't want to play hide and seek! Come out!"

The door opened. Her heart raced thinking it was over, they were coming back. But to her disappointment, it was only a strange lady in a tight white dress. The lady with bright red lipstick held a clipboard in her hands and spoke with a soft, sympathetic tone. Sakura listened to her words, her eyes widening with each syllable. Her head pounded absorbing the unwanted information. Her voice seemed to return immediately as she screamed.

"What do you mean Mom and Dad are gone?! What do you mean Touya isn't going to come back?! Why would they leave me? Stop lying!" Sakura clamped her hands on her ears, developing an instant loathing to the woman before her. She didn't like people who lied. Why wouldn't her family come back for her? They loved her. They would always be there for her. The nurse left shortly after, locking the room behind her and leaving a wailing Sakura on the ground. Sheets and pillows laid messily strewn on the floor from the result of her tantrum.

It wasn't until a week later when reality finally struck. With a small brown suitcase already packed for her, she had been escorted unwillingly from the hospital and her hometown in Tomoeda to Tokyo. 'Matsumoto's Orphanage' was the name of the Victorian styled building. The same forest green interior with faded yellow curtains was her home until she turned 18. In the eyes of the law, she was now legal and the orphanage could no longer support her with government funding.

She had entered the place crying, pleading and screaming for her nightmare to end. But as she left, a young woman that had changed drastically in her 11 year transition took her place. Sakura Kinomoto had not only grown physically and mentally, but she had also managed to detach herself emotionally from the world. As said, love and happiness were no longer a part of her vocabulary. But instead, money and the thirst for it replaced her empty void. Money made the world go round. Money could be used to buy anything. Money could satisfy her materialistic needs.

But even so, money could not bring happiness. However, it didn't mean she couldn't try.

* * *

Prostitute. Whore. Slut. These words seemed to revolve around her. Sakura preferred the term "gold-digger." Though she had a tendency to look innocent and naïve, she really was far from the notion. Even during her days at the orphanage, magazines and television were accessible. She saw the way the world seemed to kiss the toes of young, gorgeous women. The way these women, barely in their twenties, would marry men thrice their age with happy smiles. And despite their obvious intentions, the media accepted them with open arms and flashing cameras. 

These were the same women who got everything they wanted. Because of their pearly whites and pouty lips, men coveted them. They went out of their way, betraying their friends and clearing their bank accounts to keep these women happy. And with more zeros than one can count at their expense, which woman wouldn't be? Even at school, while girls used derogatory terms to describe them, secretly, they wished to be them. Sakura was a female all the same. If others could do it, why couldn't she?

And so, with that thought in mind, Sakura began yet another transformation. With the bit of excess cash she made through tips at her part-time job, she arrived at the mall and purchased a pair of tweezers, lip gloss, hairspray and a new wardrobe of miniscule pieces of clothing that didn't seem equivalent to its monetary worth. With her newly plucked eyebrows, shiny lips and hair curled to perfection, Sakura strutted down the streets of Tokyo in search of a sugar daddy.

This newly acquired hobby of hers wasn't really as difficult as it seemed. Afterall, Sakura had never been ugly. Sure she'd had her awkward stage back in her younger teens, but as the phase passed, she began to bloom like a cherry blossom in spring. It began with a man named Haruto. Her first victim had had a house and a car. It'd been fun until she discovered he had a wife. Sakura was not at all discouraged but instead sought more powerful and richer men. Soon, she'd found a man with a house and two cars. It wasn't difficult for her when her and her men parted ways. Afterall, there could be no new beginning without an end. With little tweaks to her personality, she had soon created the ideal woman that every man desired: Beautiful, fiery and playful with a dash of hard-to-get on top. They couldn't resist the seduction.

It was three years later, when she was twenty-one that she found herself relatively well-off. On her body were branded clothing with heavy price-tags. Diamonds and pearls were her accessories and a rainbow variety of purses lay at her disposal, all courtesy of her previous conquests. Now, it was even harder to see the once hopeful little girl whose eyes shined with joy. But it was also in this year that Sakura met her soon-to-be first and only friend.

She met Tomoyo Daidouji in a bar. The two girls had discovered each other's presence a year back and at once had deemed the other their sworn enemy. It was on that particular day that Sakura saw her once more and mentally cursed her luck. Tomoyo was a rival gold-digger and knowing her, they were most likely after the same target. She was right of course, and when the CEO of Kanami Corps. swayed drunkenly out the door latched onto the body of Tomoyo, Sakura frowned somewhat angrily.

'I knew I should have worn a push-up bra!'

Surprisingly, the violet-eyed girl contacted her a few days later. It was strange because Sakura didn't remember ever swapping contact information with the girl. At first, she'd expected her to gloat in her victory but Sakura was surprised, to say the least, when Tomoyo asked her to meet up at the nearby coffee house instead. So inside of Café Mocha sat two girls clutching their cold fraps staring awkwardly at one another.

"So…" Sakura began, "Why'd you call me out?"

"You're a gold-digger." Tomoyo said in a blatant tone. Is that why she called her out? Sakura raised her eyebrow (newly plucked) and leaned back in her seat.

"So are you." She retorted. Tomoyo sighed and shook her head.

"That's not what I meant. You're a newbie at this." Sakura narrowed her eyes. Was that supposed to sound better?

"What are you trying to imply?"

"That you're new to this whole seducing-men-for-money world." Sakura glared at her, but Tomoyo's face seemed to reflect no emotion.

"What makes you think that?" Sakura finally bit out.

"That's how I got Kanami the other day." So the fox's intentions were revealed. Sakura relaxed, ignoring the sting to her pride.

"Is that what you wanted to say? You wanted to rub in my face that –." but she was abruptly interrupted by Tomoyo.

"I could help you –"

"Screw off!" Sakura very nearly shouted. Then she did a double-take. "Wait, what?" Tomoyo sighed.

"I could help you become a better gold-digger, maybe even one of the best out there. Sakura looked at her distrustfully.

"What's in it for you?" Tomoyo seemed to straighten up and without an ounce of hesitance, replied.

"A friend." When she saw Sakura's stunned expression, she explained. "Look, when you've been doing this for as long as I have, you start feeling lonely. So I thought, 'Hey, why not find a fellow gold-digger!'".

"But why me?" Sakura furthered pursued, sipping the caramel sweetness. For once, Tomoyo seemed perplexed to answer.

"I don't know really," she spoke looking into emerald eyes. "I think it's because you're different. Your eyes tell me that we're the same."

Sakura never asked Tomoyo what she meant with those words, but she accepted it nonetheless. Strangely enough, the two girls began a bond of friendship. Tomoyo would teach her tricks and tips she had obtained through years of experience, and in return Sakura became a little sister. She also later found out that Tomoyo, who was 25, had started at the same age she had. This bond would prove to be more significant than either girl would realize, because along with friendship comes a seed of hope.

* * *

"Tomoyo? Where are we going tonight?" Sakura asked, still staring at the exclusive bag online. 

"Lust & Pride." Tomoyo smirked as Sakura turned away from the screen for the first time with wide eyes.

"Lust & Pride? The bar and restaurant filled with insanely rich men?" She muttered excitedly. "The same one that has a strict invite-only access?" Tomoyo nodded and grinned when Sakura squealed. "Yes! Tomoyo, how'd you score an invite?"

"That's a secret." She winked. "As for now, we have two hours to get ready before it starts." Sakura didn't need to be told twice as she dragged her friend into the make-up room.

Exactly two hours and fifteen minutes later, two fancily dressed girls stood at the entrance openly marveling at the breathtaking beauty of Lust & Pride. Apparently, tables and seats had been cleared so that the usual restaurant area seemed more like a grand ballroom. Only when Tomoyo caught herself and her friend gaping like open-mouthed fishes did she shut hers and nudge Sakura.

"My god, I'd kill to live in a place like this." Sakura whispered, unable to take her eyes off the spectacular million-dollar chandelier that held as a centerpiece. Was it possible to create such a place? Gold trimming laced the walls and the marble floors were polished to such an extent that she felt she was sliding in her heels. Her feet automatically followed Tomoyo as she was led around like a curious child who'd discovered walls. Man, the lifestyles of the rich and famous were like Heaven on earth. It was only when Tomoyo nudged her the second time tonight that Sakura finally broke out of her stupor.

"Over there." Tomoyo pointed discreetly to a man whose back was turned. "He's our target tonight." Sakura glanced curiously at the one who'd caught Tomoyo's attention. What made him so special?

"Is it because the fact that his hair hasn't grayed yet?" she joked, taking note of his unruly brown hair. Tomoyo rolled her eyes.

"His name is Li Syaoran, successor and newly appointed CEO of Li Corps."

"Why him? What's his worth?" It wasn't often that Tomoyo was so resolute in picking up a specific target. She glanced around to make sure they weren't being overheard before leaning close to Sakura's ear.

"Twenty_ billion_ USD." She emphasized.

"Damn." Sakura breathed out. As if he'd heard her, he finally turned around. "Double-damn." She said again when she saw his face. Tomoyo smiled cockily.

"Isn't he just the most gorgeous creature? He's only 26."

"You had this planned out, didn't you?" Sakura murmured accusingly.

"I won't deny it." Tomoyo spoke with a hint of pride. Suddenly, Sakura caught his eye. Even in the dimmed settings, she could see his piercing amber eyes that seemed to see right through her. Her breath was sucked away.

"Triple-damn."

* * *

**End Notes:** Yes, SongHyeKyo is an actual bag. Celine has sponsored and collaborated with Song Hye Kyo (송혜교) to create it and was officially debuted in Hong Kong a few weeks ago. Both the bag and the actress are _gorgeous_. Oh god, I'm jealous.

PS. Don't forget to review!


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